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June 7, 2006
After Making Love, We Hear Footsteps
This is an absolutely beautiful poem by Galway Kinnell. Clearly I have missed some great poetry, and need to catch up.
After Making Love, We Hear Footsteps
— by Galway Kinnell —
For I can snore like a bullhorn
or play loud music
or sit up talking with any reasonably sober Irishman
and Fergus will only sink deeper
into his dreamless sleep, which goes by all in one flash,
but let there be that heavy breathing
or a stifled come-cry anywhere in the house
and he will wrench himself awake
and make for it on the run - as now, we lie together,
after making love, quiet, touching along the length of our bodies,
familiar touch of the long-married,
and he appears - in his baseball pajamas, it happens,
the neck opening so small
he has to screw them on, which one day may make him wonder
about the mental capacity of baseball players -
and flops down between us and hugs us and snuggles himself to sleep,
his face gleaming with satisfaction at being this very child.
In the half darkness we look at each other
and smile
and touch arms across his little, startling muscled body -
this one whom habit of memory propels to the ground of his making,
sleeper only the mortal sounds can sing awake,
this blessing love gives again into our arms.
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Comments
I just wanted to say that there is a line missing in this poem that you have here...after "about the mental capacity of baseball players-" there is a line that goes, "and says, "Are you loving and snuggling? May i join?"" then you can proceed to the next line "He flops down between us..."
Most versions of this poem online are missing this one line, and i think it's crucial in order to get an even more loving feeling out of it. just thought i'd let you know! so at least one poem is written right online!
Posted by: Vanessa at September 24, 2006 12:35 PM